The field of the disclosure relates generally to computerized control of machines, and more particularly to computerized coordination of multiple operations to be performed by components of machines.
Complex machines, such as those found in a silicon wafer manufacturing plant or other industrial plant, often include multiple components whose operations must be precisely orchestrated to produce a product properly. Often, not only must the multiple components of a given machine work in concert, interactions between different machines must be coordinated as well. The components can include valves, motors, heaters, fans, and sensors, to name a few. To properly make a product pursuant to certain specifications set by an engineer, raw materials might undergo a multitude of processes as they transition into an intermediate product and finally a finished product. The processes might involve, for example, heating silicon in a crucible, extracting the silicon from the crucible at a specific rate and temperature to form a crystal, and partitioning the crystal into wafers. Other processes might include vapor deposition and etching of a wafer of silicon. In other industrial plants, similarly complex processes are carried out.
Recording all of these operations in real-time and in full resolution requires is difficult because of the many demands placed on the machine computing resources. If occasional software hang-ups cause data to be missed, critical information for post event analysis may not be able to be recovered or duplicated.